


Invitation

by 0bviousLeigh



Series: Yuma is a Girl [15]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Gender or Sex Swap, Other, here we talk about Rio's accident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 11:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12168144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh
Summary: If Kite is inviting Yuma to the carnival, it can only mean that the whole thing has his hands in it, and his hands steal people’s souls.





	Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Zexal rewrite that I started for Zexal month on tumblr--an AU in which, first and foremost, Yuma is a girl. Always a girl, born with a V, the whole nine yards. Why? Because the idea wouldn't leave me alone. So [I drew it](http://rainbow-galaxy-supernova.tumblr.com/post/164290621451/zexal-month-day-13-yuma-day-something-ive-been), and I started writing it, and I ran with it.
> 
> This is my rewrite of episode 26

Yuma shoves the heart frame, gem, and paper back in the envelope and then stuffs the envelope into a chest in the attic. If Kite is inviting her to the carnival, it can only mean that the whole thing has his hands in it, and his hands steal people’s souls.

“But we need Kite’s numbers eventually,” Astral says. “Wouldn’t it be better to get them in a public event?”

“That’s what he wants me to think,” Yuma says, slamming the lid of the trunk shut. “Oh no, I see what’s happening here. I bet this tournament is a ploy to get Numbers-holders in one place! Well, I’m not falling for it!” She climbs back down from the attic and flops into her bed. “Now I’m still recovering from a robot attack and a building collapse, are you going to come here and cuddle me or do I need to cuddle myself?”

Astral sighs, but doesn’t argue with her. Despite the arrival of the package of tricks, Yuma sleeps most of the rest of the day—Akari checks on her a few times but leaves her mostly alone to recover from the shocking robot assault. She even gives Yuma an advanced allowance because she was able to do an op-ed piece for a magazine about rogue robots.

On Sunday Yuma lounges about the house, doing her homework, texting her friends, and talking to Astral. They ignore the subject of the package in the attic, and Yuma is grateful for that. She wants to hold off on that for as long as she can.

On Monday, all hell breaks loose.

Yuma is rushing to school when suddenly all the holographic billboards and bus station ads, and TV screens go blank, then reappear with fanfare blasting. Everyone stops in their tracks and stares at the nearest screen as Mr. Heartland appears.

“Good day, citizens of our fine city!” Heartland screams.

A few people smile, children squeal, and Yuma thinks about the time she and the gang snuck as close to Heartland tower as they dared and doodled mustaches on pictures of Mr. Heartland.

“You have heard the rumors,” Heartland says, “You’ve seen the fliers, now I’m here to say that it’s time, for the World Duel Carnival, an event of unprecedented size and stature, and it will begin in exactly one week! Registration opens today, and once your registration is confirmed, you will receive your pass to enter the tournament!” Heartland holds up a tiny red gem. “This is a Heart piece, and this,” he holds up a gold heart-shaped frame, “Is your frame. You receive a frame and one heart piece as proof of registration, and you must duel other contestants for their heart pieces to fill in your frame. This will allow you to gain entrance to the finals. But beware, not all pieces may fit together in your frame! Remember, the victor of this duel will receive unlimited access to the innermost part of Heartland City, and I will personally grant them one wish! Space is limited, so register now, now, now!”

Heartland vanishes and the screens all show big, red letters, “WDC,” with confetti falling around them.

People chatter excitedly, and Yuma glowers. Today will be insufferable.

 

Yuma is purposefully late for class, spends lunch time hiding in the bathroom, and at the end of the day when class is dismissed she removes the cotton from her ears and tosses it in the trash.

“Oh, what the—?” Kotori asks, frowning at Yuma, “Is that why you didn’t answer my questions all day?”

“Sorry,” Yuma says, “I just didn’t want to hear about—”

“Yuma!” Tokunosuke cries, running up to her, “Did you register for the Carnival yet?!”

Yuma freezes briefly, and then she grabs her hair and tugs on it. “Uuuuuuuuugh,” she groans, closing her eyes and wishing the ground would swallow her.

“What?” Tokunosuke asks.

“I’m not registering,” Yuma growls.

Kotori, Tokunosuke, Tetsuo, Cathy, and Takashi all gasp and stare at Yuma with open mouths.

“But your grandma gave you permission!” Tetsuo says.

“I don’t need to register,” Yuma admits, keeping her voice low. “Kite sent me a frame and heart piece.” Jaws drop, and Yuma continues, “But I’m not taking part in this tournament at all. If Kite wants me in it, it can’t be for innocent purposes. I swear this whole thing is a trap.”

“Okay wait,” Tetsuo says, recovering from the shock, “Let’s hold off on the conspiracy theories, yeah? Mr. Heartland is the one hosting the tournament.”

“And I trust that man about as much as I trust an angry pit viper,” Yuma says. “He’s a slimy, sneaky, slippery man.”

“What makes you say that?” Cathy asks, sounding surprised. “He made Heartland for sick kids.”

“He said he’d give the winner one wish!” Tokunosuke says.

“He gives me a shivery feeling down my spine every time he opens his mouth,” Yuma says, hugging herself and looking around. “And I bet he’s lying about the wish.”

“Lying to the whole city?” Takashi asks. “That’s a little much.”

“I’m still entering,” Tokunosuke says, grinning. “And I’m wishing for a hundred more wishes if I win.”

Cathy sighs, “I’d wish for the most romantic date with the person of my choosing,” she says dreamily.

“C’mon Yuma,” Takashi says, “What would you wish for?”

That makes Yuma’s heart constrict. Seemingly realizing it, Takashi gasps. “Oh, I’m sorry…”

“No it’s okay,” Yuma says. “I mean, Heartland probably can’t work miracles, on missing and-or unconscious people, right? I don’t know, maybe I’d ask for a lifetime supply of pepper spray.” She sighs, “Look, I know I can’t stop you guys from competing, but you’re not Numbers holders so you should be okay. Just promise me you’ll be careful, okay?”

“We will,” Tokunosuke and Takashi say, as Cathy and Tetsuo nod in agreement.

Yuma turns to Kotori. “And you? Are you dueling?”

Kotori scoffs. “When have I ever?”

Yuma smiles. She knows Kotori likes the game, but only casually. She looks around and says, “You know what? I want to talk to Ryoga about this, ask if he’s going to be part of the circus. I’ll see you guys tomorrow, yeah?”

Yuma waves to her friends, and takes off running.

It takes her an hour to finally track Ryoga down, and when she does, it’s because he nearly runs her over for the umpteenth time. Yuma glowers at him.

“I’m gonna sue you one day,” she vows, and she could go on, but she stops when she gets a look at his face. “What happened?” She demands, her heart in her mouth, “Is Rio okay?!”

Ryoga grips the handles of his bike tightly. “She’s in a coma,” he snarls, “Of course she’s not okay!”

Cars behind Ryoga start honking, and Yuma flips them off. She quickly hops on his bike and wraps her arms around his waist.

“What the?” Ryoga demands.

“Drive,” Yuma says. “Drive until you feel like talking to me about whatever just happened.”

Ryoga growls, then revvs his engine. He pauses, takes his own helmet off and turns around to jam it on Yuma’s head. Yuma closes the clasp and wraps her arms around him once again, and Ryoga takes off. Yuma’s heart is racing, because she saw the pain in Ryoga’s eyes, and she can feel how tense he is. She knows that he lashes out when he’s hurting. If he’s going to do something stupid, she wants to be there for him, but dang it all she doesn’t even have her bag of tricks with her! Oh well, at least she’s wearing pants so she doesn’t have to worry about flashing people with the ridiculous uniform skirt.

Ryoga ends up driving to the long-term care facility where Rio is. He parks haphazardly, but doesn’t get off his bike. Yuma stares at the building with dread in her stomach. She hasn’t been here since Rio was checked in, she could never bear it.

“Are we going in?” Yuma asks.

Ryoga sighs, and he seems to deflate a bit. “No. Maybe. I don’t know if I can face her right now.”

Yuma takes the helmet off. Ryoga gets off the bike and stands facing away from Yuma, and Yuma stays seated on the bike, quiet and waiting for Ryoga to talk. After a minute, Ryoga reaches into his pocket and takes out a card and…

“No!” Yuma gasps, staring at the golden frame and heart piece. “Oh Ryoga, Kite sent me one on Saturday! Did he do this, too?!”

“No,” Ryoga says, slipping the frame back in his pocket. “A loser named IV did.” He closes his eyes. “How much do you know about my disqualification?”

“Not much,” Yuma admits. “I heard you cheated and I stopped looking into it, because I knew…or wanted to believe that you would never cheat.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Ryoga says, clenching his fist. “I was in the waiting room and I heard a clatter I turned and a deck had fallen—my opponents deck. I approached, and I turned away, but I saw a few cards. During the duel I had a feeling that I could win because of what I had seen, but CCTV footage showed me viewing the cards. IV’s cards. And IV just found me, he threw this card at me, one of the cards I had seen, and told me that he set me up. He left his deck in a place he knew it would fall, and he knew I would be disqualified and ruined.” Ryoga growls. “And he implied that Rio’s accident wasn’t an accident.”

“Not an accident?” Yuma parrots. “But how would he…unless he…” Yuma gasps. She jumps to her feet. “WHERE IS HE?!” She screams.

Ryoga whirls on her. “If I knew that do you think I would be standing here right now?!” He screams back. “He said to meet him the finals! I have no proof he even did anything! I don’t carry a camera around and record everything someone says to me!! I want him punished!!”

Yuma covers her face. “I know,” she whispers. She lowers her hands. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

Ryoga deflates again. “I do know that, I’m sorry I yelled I just…I’m so mad.”

Yuma steps forward and hugs Ryoga. At first he goes rigid, but after a second he awkwardly hugs her back. Yuma snorts. “Oh hug me properly, you act like we didn’t all three of us bathe together when we were kids.”

Ryoga sighs and gives Yuma a proper hug. Yuma rests her forehead on Ryoga’s shoulder. “Ryoga, you point him out to me and I’ll go after him.”

“Rio wouldn’t want that,” Ryoga sighs. “She’d want me to, I don’t know, make him out himself during the Carnival so everyone knows what he did.”

“Oh please,” Yuma snorts, not lifting her head, “She could be pretty vindictive.”

That does get Ryoga to laugh. He leans back and looks down at Yuma. “Do you want to come see her with me?”

“I’ll cry,” Yuma says automatically.

“I’ll kill you if you cry,” Ryoga fires back. “Besides, Astral hasn’t met her, has he?”

Yuma’s heart twists. “No, I…I guess not.” She laughs. “My best friend hasn’t met my boyfriend.”

Ryoga looks surprised. “Boyfriend?”

Yuma rubs the back of her neck. “Yeah, um…after we shared a body, Astral and I talked. I can touch him now, by the way. Anyway we think we might be soulmates. We’re positive, actually. The fact that we came together like that…anyway we talked about kissing and then we did it. Kissed. A lot of kissing. I haven’t even told Kotori and them yet, I was so busy thinking about the stupid carnival today!”

“Yuma,” Ryoga says, putting his hands on her shoulders, “Deep breath.”

Yuma inhales shakily.

Ryoga smiles. “Congrats. I can tell Astral means a lot to you.”

Yuma smiles and she feels tears sting her eyes. She looks up and blinks rapidly, trying to hold them back. “It’s times like this that I really miss Rio, and my parents. And with Kite inviting me to the Carnival I was so sure I didn’t want to participate, because I’m sure it’s a trap.”

“Most likely,” Ryoga agrees.

“But I can’t let you face IV alone!” Yuma says. “Especially not if he hurt Rio, because in that case I can’t let you have all the pleasure of destroying him!”

Ryoga actually laughs. “You’ll fall into Kite’s plans for me and Rio, huh?”

“Aw, fuck Kite,” Yuma says, waving her hand. “You guys are way more important.”

Ryoga rolls his eyes. “Is Astral even here, by the way?”

“Oh right,” Yuma says. She holds on to the Key. “Astral? Can you come out, please?”

“How does he come out?” Ryoga asks. “Is it like Aladdin? Is there smoke? Does he fade in?”

“No,” Yuma says, smiling at Astral where he’s appeared over Ryoga’s shoulder. “He just shows up.”

Ryoga sees her face and her line of sight. “Is he behind me?”

“Yup,” Yuma says.

Ryoga looks around, but it’s clear he doesn’t see anything.

Astral floats low to the ground, eye-level with Yuma, and she asks, “Did you hear all that?”

“Hard not to,” Astral says. “My home is right under your mouth, after all.”

“So, what do you say?” Yuma asks, “Do you want to meet Rio?”

Astral positively lights up. “I would be honored.”

 

* * *

 

Rio’s not as bandaged as she was last time Yuma saw her—she just has bandages covering her eyes, now. The shades are kept pulled in her room so her skin doesn’t get exposed to direct sunlight, but it means that she needs more vitamins to keep her healthy. Ryoga tells Yuma and Astral all about the doctors who said that Rio was lucky, lucky that the skin grafts took so nicely on her arms, lucky that time and constant treatment healed the burns on her face, lucky that she was taken to a good hospital quickly and major infections were avoided.

“What about her eyes?” Yuma asks and she strokes Rio’s hair. It had been shaved when she was brought to the hospital, but it’s nearly grown back to its original length now.

Ryoga shakes his head. “That we won’t really know more about until she wakes up. There was damage, and she had laser surgery. The doctors say she should be able to see just fine, but she’ll probably need tinted glasses when she’s outside.”

“So much surgery,” Yuma murmurs. “Poor Rio. She must have been in so much pain.”

“It’s why I’m kind of…glad,” Ryoga says. “In a way, she’s lucky she’s in a coma. She didn’t have to be awake for the grafts. I spoke to people in the burn unit, they said that grafts can be painful and frightening. I watched her face the whole time and she never showed any reaction. I don’t think she felt a thing.” He pauses. “I hope she didn’t feel a thing.”

Yuma wipes tears from her cheeks and clears her throat. “Rio, I’m dating a spirit from another world. He’s a boy, or at least, he identifies as one, and we kissed last night. Nothing like kissing you, it was actually a lot better. Oh, and I’m being chased by a guy who can steal souls, apparently. There’s these things called Numbers, I should probably start there.”

Yuma talks to Rio for an hour. Astral hovers behind Yuma, hands on her shoulders for comfort. Yuma combs and braids Rio’s hair, then she trims Rio’s fingernails and toenails (which she pretends to be grossed out over), and when Yuma finishes talking, she promises to bring a bottle of nail polish next time she visits.

“And here’s something else,” Yuma says. She looks at Ryoga, who’s been watching her the whole time from the other side of Rio’s bed. “You want to tell her?”

Ryoga nods and takes Rio’s hand. “Sis, I met the guy I dueled in the ill-fated tournament again. The loser named ‘Four,’ who spells his name in roman numerals. He implied that the thing that put you here wasn’t an accident. I’m entering another tournament, or at least I hope I am, and I’m going to face him and get answers for this.”

Yuma takes Rio’s other hand. “He really spells his name I-V?” Ryoga nods and she rolls her eyes. “Well anyway, we’re going to get him for you, Rio. If it’s true and this wasn’t an accident, and he knows something about it, we’ll make him pay.”

“Yuma,” Astral says firmly, “Dueling should not be about revenge.”

“This isn’t about revenge!” Yuma cries, “It’s about justice! Rio’s been lying in this bed for two years! You heard about all the surgeries and procedures she had to go through, and it’s not done. She…she needs vitamins pumped right into her blood, she gets her food through a tube in her stomach!” Yuma takes Rio’s arm and holds it up. “Humans need to move to keep up their muscle mass. People have to come in here every day and move Rio’s body for her so her muscles don’t completely deteriorate! If they didn’t she would be skin and bones by now, and even with all their work, when she wakes up she’s going to needs weeks of—”

“Months,” Ryoga says quietly.

“Months!” Yuma corrects, “Of physical therapy so she can move like a human being again!” Tears sting her eyes once more. “If someone did this on purpose then they need to answer for it. Rio didn’t do anything wrong, no human deserves this.”

There’s a loud sob. Yuma is momentarily confused—it wasn’t her, it wasn’t Astral. She turns. Ryoga’s hands are pressed to his mouth and his head is down.

Yuma rushes to the other side of the bed. She hugs Ryoga tightly, and he buries his face in her shoulder. Yuma fights back her own tears as she rubs Ryoga’s back. He’s shaking, but that one sob remains the only sound he makes. Somehow it’s worse. Yuma wishes he would scream, because she would scream with him and they could yell out everything they feel. The silence means that the sadness has overwhelmed Ryoga and robbed him of his words. It happened to Yuma frequently after her parents vanished. She would cry so hard that she couldn’t make a sound, so hard that she couldn’t take in air, and couldn’t call for help when she couldn’t breathe. Yuma remembers being rushed to the hospital a few times after Akai or grandma found her unconscious after these fits.

But Ryoga doesn’t pass out. He clings to Yuma, but he manages to breathe. When he lifts his head, Yuma wipes the tears from his cheeks.

Ryoga croaks, “You don’t…” He stops, clears his throat, and starts again. “You don’t know how many times I’ve thought those exact same things. For so long all I could say was that it wasn’t fair. After a while it just started sounding like an excuse.”

“It isn’t fair,” Yuma says fiercely. “And we’re going to tell the world about it.”

But visiting hours are nearly over. The two of them kiss Rio’s forehead, and they walk out with their shoulders brushing. Ryoga gives Yuma a ride home, where she walks in with her head lowered. She turns down dinner, only saying that she’d gone to see Rio, and heads right to the attic.

“You love Ryoga,” Astral says as Yuma opens a trunk.

“I do,” Yuma agrees. She rummages for the envelope Kite sent her. “I love Rio, too.”

“Why didn’t you kiss him?” Astral asks.

Yuma finds the envelope. “You don’t have to kiss everyone you love,” she explains.

“But you wanted to,” Astral says.

Yuma bites her lip. Astral sits next to her, and Yuma leans over to kiss him. It sends her heart racing and she feels happy, which is a relief after the afternoon’s rollercoaster. Yuma sighs and leans back. “I have you,” She says. “That’s all I need.”

Astral looks confused. “How? You said it yourself, I’m not from this planet. What if I have to leave someday?”

“That was before I really realized what a strong connection we have, you’ll come back,” Yuma says confidently. “You’ll come see me.”

“So you’ll love only me, in this way, for the rest of your life?” Astral asks.

“Most people love only one person for their lives,” Yuma says.

Astral frowns. “That doesn’t seem fair. People should receive all the love they’re entitled to. Love is a beautiful thing. Why cut yourself off from it just because you love one person?”

Yuma has to admit, she’s blown away. “Well, that’s…how monogamy and marriage work,” she says.

“Monogamy?” Astral echoes.

“It means being married and having an intimate relationship with one person,” Yuma explains.

Astral frowns. “It sounds very backwards. I don’t think it’s like that where I come from. What’s not-monogamy called?”

“Polygamy,” Yuma says.

“You should try that,” Astral tells her. “If you love Ryoga, you should tell him. If he loves you back, you should let him.”

Yuma has to laugh. “Oh Astral, it’s just not that simple. Polygamy is frowned upon in this society, in most societies. Sometimes it’s illegal.”

“Why?” Astral asks, aghast. “It’s love! If no one is hurt, what’s wrong with it?”

He seems genuinely upset, and Yuma hugs him. “Shh, don’t get excited over it,” she tells him, patting his head. “It’s not our problem to fix. At least, not before we find out what really happened to Rio, collect all the Numbers, and find out what Kite’s role in all this is and hand his butt to him.” Yuma frowns. “Not necessarily in that order. Oh and we need to add something about Mr. Heartland to that list because I swear that man is up to no good.”

That gets Astral to chuckle. “Okay, should be easy, right?”

Yuma kisses Astral’s cheek. “Totally.”


End file.
